LESSON THE TWENTY-THIRD. ON THE ADVERB. RULE I. The adverb must be, in general, placed in a sentence before the adjective or participle which it modifies.-EXAMPLES: On est aisément intéressé par des aspects divers, lorsqu'on entre dans la carrière de la fortune: mais lorsqu'on est arrivé aux plus hautes places, les plaisirs de l'imagination finissent avec elles. --Tels on croit voir ces navigateurs qui, après avoir vainement essayé de s'ouvrir un passage aux extrémités du monde, retournent tristement sur leurs pas, et considèrent d'un œil morne et languissant les divers spectacles de la nature dont ils avaient été si vivement frappés, lorsque naguère ils traversaient les mers, l'esprit vivement én:u par la curiosité et par l'espé. rance. We are readily attracted by various prospects, when we enter into the career of fortune; but, when we have reached the highest preferments, the pleasures of imagination are then at an end. Such we may fancy those navigators, who, after having vainly tried to open to themselves a passage to the extremities of the world, return sadly on their track, viewing, with a melancholy and languid look, the various scenes of nature by which they had been struck in so lively a manner, when, not long before, they crossed the seas with a mind strongly agitated by curiosity and hope. OBSERVATION. There are circumstances in which taste alone can direct the proper use of the adverbs of manner, which may be placed either before or after the adjective. Thus, we may say, with equal propriety, ouvertement ambitieux, César était ou ambitieux ouverte-Cæsar was openly ambitious. ment. RULE II. The adverb, in general, is placed immediately after the verb, in its radical tenses; or between the past participle and the auxiliary, in its compound tenses.-EXAMPLES: C'est le destin des choses humaines | It is the fate of human things to de n'avoir qu'une durée courte et rapide, et de tomber aussitôt dans l'éternel oubli d'où elles étaient sorties. Mais, votre église, grand Dieu! mais, le chef have but a short and fleeting duration, and then to fall into that eternal abyss whence they came. -But your church, great God! but the admirable master-piece d'œuvre admirable de votre sagesse et de votre miséricorde envers les hommes; mais, votre empire, maitre souverain des cœurs! n'aura point d'autres bornes que celles de l'éternité. -Tout nous échappe, tout disparaît sans cesse autour de nous, c'est une scène sur laquelle, à chaque instant, paraissent de nouveaux personnages qui se remplacent; et de tous ces rôles pompeux qu'ils ont si bien joués, pendant le moment qu'on les a vus sur leur théâtre, il ne leur reste à la fin que le regret de voir finir la représentation et de ne se trouver réellement que ce qu'ils sont devant vous. of your wisdom and of your mercy to mankind; but your empire, sovereign Master of all hearts! will have no limits but those of eternity.-Every thing flies from us: all continually vanishes around us ; it is a scene on which every instant new performers appearand succeed one another; and, out of all the pompous parts they play so well, during the short period they are seen on the stage, nothing remains to them, in the end, but regret to see the conclusion of the drama, and to find themselves only what, in your eyes, they are. EXCEPTION. In the compound tenses of verbs, we may, however, sometimes place the adverb either before or after the past participle. Custom alone will direct in that respect; thus, we may say, equally well, Les femmes l'ont prodigieusement | The women have prodigiously gâté, ou l'ont gâté prodigieuse- spoiled him. ment. We place, either before or after the verb, the adverbs of order and rank, and those which denote time in a determinate manner ; thus we may say, secondly, seek lawful pleasures. To-day it is fine weather; it will Nous devons faire, premièrement, | We ought, first, to do our duty; notre devoir; secondement, chercher les plaisirs permis Aujourd'hui il fait beau; il pleuvra, peut-être, demain. On servit d'abord la soupe et le bouilli, ou d'abord on servit la soupe et le bouilli. rain, perhaps, to-morrow. The soup and bouilli were served up first. OBSERVATIONS. FIRST. Davantage, which many people are apt to confound with plus, and use for it, is, by no means, an expression synonymous with plus; the following particularly distinguishes it from that expression. 1st. It will admit neither the preposition de, nor the conjunction que, after it: do not say, therefore, Si je reste ici j'aurai davantage de plaisir. Instead of it, in the above, use plus; thus: Si je reste ici, j'aurai plus de plai sir. Il est plus aimé que vous. If I stay here, I shall have more pleasure. He is more beloved than you. 2d. It is always placed after the word which it modifies, and answers, in English, to the more, when the more is not to be repeated; say, therefore, Il en sera aimé davantage,—and He will be the more loved for it. not Il en sera davantage aimé. 3d. It is never construed with an adjective; therefore, do not say, Il est davantage prudent, ou pru- | He is more wise. dent davantage. 4th. It can never be used in the sense of le plus (the most,) as it is done by many French; therefore, do not say, De toutes les fleurs d'un parterre, la rose est celle qui me plaît davantage; but De toutes les fleurs d'an parterre, la rose est celle qui me plaît le plus. Of all the flowers of a parterre, SECOND. the rose pleases me most. Autant and aussi are often confounded, in familiar discourse, as synonymous expressions. Some French people, for instance, say, Pierre est autant riche que Jacques; or, While they should say, Pierre est aussi riche que Jacques. | Peter is as rich as James. Should it be required to establish a comparison between two qualities, we should also make use of aussi; as, Il est aussi avare que soupço- | He is as avaricious as suspicious, uneux. In order that autant may be substituted for aussi in the above phrase, it must be placed between the two adjectives, and followed by que; as, Il est avare autant que soupço- | He is as avaricious as suspicious. nneux. L'Anglais, indépendant, et libre autant que bṛave, Mais, Hélénus, sensible autant que généreux, Autant que may also serve as a connexion between two phrases; as, Je l'estime autant que je l'aime. I esteem him as much as I love him. When autant serves to compare the merit of two actions by the infinitive of two verbs, we must not fail of joining the prepoexpressed sition de to the que which precedes the second action. Hence, the following phrases, where this preposition is omitted, are incorrect: Il vaut autant écrire que parler. We must say, Il vaut autunt écrire que de parler. J'aime autant le faire tout à l'heure que de différer. que différer. It is as well to write as to speak. I like as well to do it immediately as to procrastinate. Autant does not modify an adverb, therefore the following sentence is incorrect: Ils les régalèrent autant bien que | They treated them as well as the pouvait le permettre la pau vreté de leur pays. poverty of their country would allow. From what precedes, we shall establish, as a principle, the difference between aussi and autant to be as follows: Aussi is the proper modification of an adverb, and never of the quality expressed in the verb. Autant never modifies the adverb, and seldom the quality; and, when it does, it must be followed by que, and placed between the two adjectives it modifies. Autant, modi fying the quality expressed in the verb, must be followed then by que de, or simply que, according as the verb is or is not in the infinitive mood. When autant is used to express a comparison, the que, which, in the above cases, is inseparable from autant, is supplied by VOL. II. 2 de, and is placed between the two objects compared, or relating to each other.--EXAMPLES: Il a autant de vertu que de talens. L'armée de Léonidas, composée de trois cents hommes, avait autant de héros que de soldats. He has as much virtue as talents. The army of Leonidas, composed of three hundred men, had as many heroes as soldiers. There are several authors who have made use of autant comme, instead of autant que.-EXAMPLES: Ils étaient courageux autant co- | They were as courageous as the mme les meilleurs soldats de l'empire. Le vrai brave conserve son jugement au milieu du péril avec autant de présence d'esprit comme s'il n'y était pas. best soldiers of the empire. The truly brave preserve judgment amid danger, with as much presence of mind as if they were not in it. It is a mistake, and, to rectify it, que must be substituted for comine. It is also a mistake to use comme after aussi, as in the following sen tence: Tant qu'a duré la guerre on m Que should have been used instead of comme, but the line would be deficient in one syllable. Instead of autant, we make use of tant, when there is no comparison; as, Il a tant de richesses qu'on ne saurait les compter. Cette pièce de vers offre tant de beautés, que je l'aurais crue de Voltaire. His wealth is so great that it caunot be counted. This piece of poetry possesses so many beauties, that I should have thought it was Voltaire's. THIRD. Si, so, is used to give some extension to a qualification, and not, in general, to express a comparison.-EXAMPLES: Il est si bon qu'il n'a pas son Un corps si faible ne saurait ré- He is so good that he has no equal. So weak a body cannot bear fatigue. She loves you so tenderly, that you cannot help loving her in return |